Do you have a question about pets ? We’ll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Rhonda Owen, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P. O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail rowen@arkansasonline. com My dog Max, a Jack Russell terrier mix, is 9 months old. He’s doing great and learning how to sit and do other stuff, but there’s a problem I don’t know how to handle. He gets sick when I take him places in the car. He sits in the back seat, but isn’t in a box or anything, so this can get messy. What can I do keep him from being carsick ?
Puppies sometimes suffer from motion sickness while riding in a car or other type of vehicle, but usually grow out of it.
Carsickness in puppies could be related to their immature ear canals, according to VeterinaryPartner. com. The ear canals will mature along with the dog, which is why it’s highly probable that the carsickness will end with adulthood.
But if a puppy gets sick on every car ride, there’s a possibility he could become conditioned to being nauseated in the car. So it’s important that you take steps to make car-riding comfortable and stress-free now and in the future.
Dogs and puppies are better off riding in a crate than being allowed loose in a vehicle. For one thing, they’re safer — they won’t go flying off the seat if you have to suddenly stop or turn. Plus, a dog that is trained to consider his crate a refuge will be less stressed and feel more secure if he’s in his crate while riding in the car.
Your dog is small enough (now and when he’s reached maturity ) that you should be able to fit an appropriately sized crate (hard plastic or soft-sided ) into the back seat of your car without any problems. Remember to buckle the crate in with a safety belt so that it doesn’t slide when the car is moving.
Take your puppy on short car rides that don’t give him time to be ill. Then he will learn that riding doesn’t always result in nausea. Also, take your puppy on car rides to fun places — a dog park, for instance — so that he doesn’t associate the car with bad experiences. Another option is to curtail the puppy’s car trips or stop them completely until he’s more than a year old.
You’re probably already aware of this, but don’t feed the puppy a big meal before you hit the road.
If nothing works, you may have to live with the carsickness until the puppy outgrows it. However, you can also talk to your veterinarian about medication to prevent nausea and motion sickness.
Earlier this year, Pfizer released a new anti-nausea drug, Cerenia (maropitant citrate ), that can be given to dogs older than 16 weeks old. Cerenia is the first anti-nausea medication developed specifically for dogs that has been approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. According to Pfizer’s Animal Health Web site (www. pfizerah. com ), the drug may be given up to two hours before a car trip and may be used once a day for two days in a row.
It’s not advisable to give your dog any anti-nausea medication created for humans unless it is recommended by your veterinarian.
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